Cedric… my elf. I constructed him of paper, chenille stems, and yarn. His simple sweetness has found its way into my heart.   Cedric's tinkle toes are Shiny Brite bells purchased years ago at Gambles. In my childhood, Gambles Hardware Store in downtown Brainerd (Minnesota) was a frequent stop on our Saturday trips to town. This memory prompted me to hang the two remaining bells, that are wired to their display…

To simplify Christmas gift giving, my three daughters, their spouses, Dick, and I draw names. When we were visiting them in NY and NJ over Thanksgiving, we exchanged gifts. Heather had my name. One of her gifts to me was the most adorable cast iron tree stand molded into a snowflake form. To coordinate with some fun fabric Jessie had given me…

My daughter Jessie chose the most perfect wrapping paper for my granddaughter's camping theme birthday party. The gift inside was just as perfect.   Four varieties of cards were housed in a cardboard owl-shaped box. One wing lifts up for easy removal. My granddaughter used some of the cards to write thank yous to her…

Flickering votive candles placed inside pint canning jars illuminate the sidewalk for my granddaughter's birthday party guests. Invitations requested that each guest bring a flashlight for outside play and to reinforce the camping theme.    "Fireflies" created by loosely piling a strand of mini white Christmas tree lights in an over-sized clear glass jar provided the…

Day 4 of my granddaughter's birthday party prep… To expand upon the camping theme, Heather hung construction paper leaf cutouts from ribbon in her home's entryway and cut a tree trunk and branches from four brown paper grocery bags which she secured with tape in a corner of her kitchen. Here and there, she tucked in clipart deer, squirrel,…

  I received these handmade felted wool shoes from my daughter Heather for my birthday. They are keeping my tootsies warm as I type this post. They are so so comfy and the timing is perfect as these October nights have cooled considerably… down to 39 degrees overnight. It's difficult to see in the photo, but…

Jenn, who is my inspiration to learn how to knit, unknowingly took her cabin key with her after her stay at our bed and breakfast. She could have quickly tucked the key into an envelope and sent it on its way back to me, but not Jenn. Look at how she returned the key.  During her…

O.K., so sometimes there are people who come into my life that just plain inspire me. Jenn, a guest from Canada who stayed at my bed and breakfast for three nights this past weekend, rose early each morning to work on her knitted sweater project in my railroad car tearoom while I prepared breakfast in my inn's…

The inspiration for today's project came from two unrelated sources that gelled so seamlessly. Gosh, I love it when that happens. There are oodles of paper bag craft ideas, but this particular idea that I found on a scrapbooking site caught my attention. It combines paper art with sewing… two of my favorite artistic outlets.       The 2010 calendar…

A drawing from one of my granddaughters… Precious.